This invention relates generally to merchandise display assemblies used in retail stores and, more particularly, to a merchandise display unit having a design which provides the end-user retail store with a display structure which is easy to assemble and attractive in appearance.
As customers who frequent retail stores can attest, display structures for merchandise come in all shapes and sizes, ranging from simple racks for hanging clothes to shelves to free-standing shelf units to bins to stackable bins t rotating units to complicated, suspended-from-the-ceiling arrangements. Examples of such structures are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,813,553; 4,706,824; 4,444,322; 4,450,775; 4,534,473; 4,697,712; and 4,242,970. Other structures, such as shelf units for home use, or rack systems for the storage of food or goods are also known, and examples of those are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,724,678; 3,468,430; and 3,411,634. The appearance and complexity of assembly of such structures vary, depending at least in part upon their intended uses and design characteristics.
In the design and manufacture of merchandise display units for retail stores, there are specific considerations which must be taken into account. The considerations include, among others: the overall structural design of the display unit which is determined, in large part by the type of merchandise displayed; the structural strength of the unit which, in the retail setting, must take into account the volume of customer traffic; the complexity of assembling the unit by end-users who are, for the most part, not particularly mechanically minded; the placement of the unit, namely whether it is a free-standing unit, a wall-supported unit or end-of-the-aisle unit; the flexibility of placement and movement of the unit; the appearance of the unit, that is, whether the unit and the merchandise displayed attract the attention of customers; and, the cost of the unit. While some of the patents referenced above address these considerations, improved display units, especially units which are easy to assemble, attractive in appearance and low in cost, are still needed.
The display unit of the present invention was designed with the above-mentioned considerations in mind, and provides an improved merchandise display unit to fulfill those needs.